A Great Neck man was arrested for criminal possession of over 100 separate fireworks after attempting to flee a traffic stop in Manhasset, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Detectives said that around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday an officer initiated an investigation of “a suspicious person in a motor vehicle” near the intersection of Plandome Road and Bayview Avenue.
“During the investigation, officers discovered pills believed to be oxycodone in the subject’s vehicle,” the police said in a statement.
The defendant, whom police identified as Jonathan Mata, 24 of Great Neck, then “fled the scene on foot when officers attempted to place him under arrest.”
“[Mata] then stole a bicycle on Hillside Avenue in an attempt to evade police,” police said in the statement. “The defendant was located and apprehended a short time later on Virginia Drive. Further investigation discovered approximately 110 miscellaneous fireworks in the vehicle.”
Mata is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, petit larceny, numerous vehicle traffic violations and multiple violations of New York State Labor Law concerning fireworks. He was arraigned on Friday in Mineola and is due back in court on Aug. 20. No defense attorney was listed on the New York State Unified Court System’s online database.
